Music
The 5 Best Moments From Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball Tour
The singer turned her acclaimed Coachella set into an even bigger spectacle.
The Mistress of Mayhem has arrived. On July 16, Lady Gaga officially kicked off her long-awaited Mayhem Ball Tour at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, bringing the chaos of her genre-spanning album, Mayhem, to life.
As expected from the Mayhem Ball merch, Gaga retained elements from her acclaimed Gagachella set, entitled “The Art of Personal Chaos,” making her opera house stage and two-story gown fit into an arena. But she somehow made the show even grander, with new set pieces, choreography, and an expanded narrative that sees Gaga battle and slowly make peace with herself.
The set list includes nearly every song from Mayhem, including the smash hit “Abracadabra” and ending with the viral pop tune “How Bad Do U Want Me.” But now, she’s added even more classic hits to the show, as well as some surprises that longtime Little Monsters will appreciate.
The show’s existence is a feat in itself, as Gaga revealed that she wasn’t planning to tour following her Coachella performances and one-off shows in Mexico, Brazil, and Singapore. “The incredible response to the new album inspired me to keep things going,” she wrote when the Mayhem Ball was announced, saying the tour was put together in “just a few weeks.” Here are the best moments from her epic spectacle.
The Rainbow Cape
As Gaga performed “Paparazzi” in the same crutches from her music video, she moved down the catwalk while balancing an elongated white cape behind her, which later illuminated in rainbow colors as she triumphantly made it to the catwalk. It was a subtle yet powerful nod to the LGBTQ+ communities, whom Gaga has stood by since the beginning of her career.
Justice For ARTPOP
Fans have long advocated for Gaga’s critically derided 2013 album, ARTPOP, which she completely ignored on her previous tour in 2022. They got their wish at the Mayhem Ball, with Gaga playing the album’s biggest hit, “Applause,” and incorporating deep cut “Aura” into her “Judas” performance. Plus, the title track played as she and her dancers took their final bows after the encore.
The Return of “Summerboy”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Gaga playing “Summerboy,” a deep cut from her 2008 debut album, The Fame, for the first time in nearly 20 years. She kept the performance simple, picking up the guitar and having her dancers groove along to create the ultimate summer party.
The “Shallow” Boat
Rather than perform “Shallow” at the piano like usual, Gaga decided to give her Oscar-winning song the theatrical treatment. As part of her healing journey, she embarks on a sailing voyage with a dancer dressed as her former self, taking a Gothic-like canoe down the catwalk over LED waters as she sang a haunting, remixed rendition of the hit song.
The Stripped Down Encore
After the show’s credits rolled following “Bad Romance,” Gaga surprisingly beamed in from her dressing room, singing “How Bad Do U Want Me” as she removed her wig and put on a Mayhem T-shirt. She joyously sang along backstage with her dancers as she headed back to the stage, creating the show’s most stripped-down yet celebratory moment — a fitting end to her story of healing herself.
Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Set List
Read the full Mayhem Ball set list below.
- “Bloody Mary”
- “Abracadabra”
- “Judas” (with elements of “Aura”)
- “Schieße”
- “Garden of Eden”
- “Poker Face”
- “Perfect Celebrity”
- “Disease”
- “Paparazzi”
- “LoveGame”
- “Alejandro”
- “The Beast”
- “Killah”
- “Zombieboy”
- “LoveDrug”
- “Applause”
- “Just Dance”
- “Shadow of a Man”
- “Kill For Love”
- “Summerboy”
- “Born This Way”
- “Million Reasons”
- “Shallow”
- “Die With A Smile”
- “Vanish Into You”
- “Bad Romance”
- “How Bad Do U Want Me”
